


Wrong Train

by Listelia



Category: Zorro (TV 1990), Zorro - All Media Types, 琅琊榜 | Nirvana in Fire (TV), 琅琊榜 | Nirvana in Fire (TV) RPF
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27490699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listelia/pseuds/Listelia
Summary: It was mid-spring. California was still a Spanish colony and Imperial China had barely entered its last century.The man who had brought Zorro to life was travelling South with his twin, who was the one actually wearing the black mask of the Fox, and the mute orphan he had saved and adopted.The man who had buried Lin Shu in his heart was heading North with his best friend, who was also his personal doctor, and the mentally impaired former assassin he loved like a son.Nothing should have brought these two parties together and yet a glitch in destiny's clogs was going to make it happen.________________________________________________________When two trains stop at the same time in the same crowded station, two groups get mixed up in a hasty departure's confusion. One is from California, the other from China. They never were meant to meet and yet, in the dark cold night, a strange twist in fate brings together people who really needed to hear from another point of view.This is a crossover between 'Saving the Fox' (fanfic author Therrae's massive fan works from 'New world Zorro') and the Chinese series 'Nirvana on Fire'.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Two Men

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Saving the Fox](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/711766) by Therrae. 



Gilberto de la Vega liked trains for the sheer marvel of technology they were. And because it meant travelling far, quickly and safely while giving Diego the opportunity to see the worldwithoutputting a strain on his heart. It did also mean stinking of smoke and charcoal, dreaming for _days_ afterwards of that infernal noise and sharing the hallways with too much people to his taste, but it was still a lot better than a stage coach or a boat: at least you could open the windows to your liking – or whenever a bad spell made your sick twin gasp for air – and not have the entire wagon glaring at you or your bed splashed by sea water.

Lin Chen _hated_ trains with a passion. They were loud and smelly and crowded – the epitome of western worst manufactures. _Yes_ , it meant travelling to these many places Mei Changsu had dreamt of visiting in the shortest time – _and saving time was, oh! so very important_ – but it also meant sharing the space with stupid people who could not understand for the life of them why opening a window when it was that cold outside was an act of murder when they were sitting next to a man who was shivering despite the fact he was tucked in heavy furs.

Felipe did not like the train very much. It made his ears ring. Plus, it wasn't easy manoeuvring a glass of water without spilling any with all that shaking. The benches were hard (there was no way Diego would be able to sleep properly any time soon). And it wasn't very warm. He couldn't stop frowning. Surely, travelling by train could be improved.

Fei Liu absolutely _loved_ the train. He would have spent the entire journey on the roof if he hadn't been forbidden to do so (he had very little worry about losing his head to a tunnel entrance). The excitement was almost too much. He couldn't stay in place and kept pointing at things through the window, yelping and jumping with a big grin on his small face.

Diego de la Vega had fallen asleep halfway through the fourth chapter of his book, lulled by the train's regular huffing and clonking. He was slouched against the wooden wall in a position that couldn't be very comfortable, but he looked quite peaceful. Hopefully, he would be rested enough to travel the rest of the way without a two-days pause in some godforsaken Chinese town. The sooner they reached their destination, the better. The man they had rescued from these pirates had promised they had very good doctors over there when he had written to invite them. It was the main reason why Gilberto had agreed to make the trip: he wouldn't otherwise have approved of such a long and tiring journey, even if Diego was giving him puppy eyes and even knowing Los Angeles would be fine while they were gone – with Don Alejandro now alcalde, Zorro wasn't needed anymore and the masked hero had started to retreat to the shadows.

Mei Changsu couldn't focus on any reading, with all that bumping and the cold drafts slithering inside their compartment, but watching the landscape blur away through the window and listening to Fei Liu's cries of delight was enough distraction from the constant pain in his frail body or the dark future coming ahead. He had waited eleven long years. Just one more, then he would return to the capital and start to unfold his terrible revenge… The reason he had agreed to travelling with Lin Chen to these places he had only seen in pictures or read about in poems, they both knew it, even though none of them would ever say it aloud: there was no guaranty he would still be alive _afterwards_. Maybe, this was his only chance to try living like a person, not like a ghost. 

It was mid-spring. California was still a Spanish colony and Imperial China had barely entered its last century.

The man who had brought Zorro to life was travelling South with his twin, who was the one actually wearing the black mask of the Fox, and the mute orphan he had saved and adopted.

The man who had buried Lin Shu in his heart was heading North with his best friend, who was also his personal doctor, and the mentally impaired former assassin he loved like a son.

Nothing should have brought these two parties together and yet a glitch in destiny's clogs was going to make it happen.

oOoOoOo

Both trains slowed down at the same time and their locomotives let go of a cloud of steam as they whistled loudly their coming into the station. They stopped next to each other in a ruckus of rattling and clanging and puffing, then their voyagers poured out on their respective platforms.

Gilberto was hungry and thirsty, but he didn't have the heart to wake up Diego. He patted Felipe's shoulder and signed that they should go out and buy some lunch during the break. Felipe frowned, but in the end, he agreed to go stretch his legs and look around: the train had proven to be a safe place in the last three days and Diego's colour was good, he was breathing fine and his pulse was strong and even. He would be okay, as long as they left him a note in case he woke up. Gilberto obliged and they left the compartment quietly with the small Chinese dictionary Diego had put together, determined to find something to eat that wouldn't be _too_ weird.

Lin Chen was so thrilled he could finally get out of that dratted western contraception that he didn't have the slightest hesitation when Mei Changsu asked him to go after Fei Liu – who had escaped through the window at the very moment the train had stopped. The strategist would be fine. Actually, some space and quiet would probably do him good. Maybe for the little time the train wasn't shaking him, he'd get some proper sleep, not just another fever induced restless nap filled with nightmares – heavens knew he needed it. And it wouldn't be _that_ long to find the monkey in the station and to drag him back. Lin Chen chuckled, and he left after closing the window, waving his fan at his smiling friend.

The weather had been quite nice all morning long, but now dark clouds were gathering in the skies and the light was dimming. Soon, it would rain.

Somehow, time must have flown faster than he thought, because when he looked at his pocket watch, Gilberto was surprised to realise it was a minute before departure. He quickly collected Felipe who was carrying their purchases and they hurried back to the train.

The first drops started to fall, first a refreshing drizzle, then a tight curtain of coldness.

A double whistle echoed in the station as he pushed his way through the crowd, a reluctant Fei Liu tucked under his arm. Lin Chen tisked impatiently and considered flying over the stupid flock to get back faster to the train. It wouldn't have been difficult, except the train would probably be delayed if some obnoxious master in martial arts was among the travellers and decided to ask for a fight.

The two trains trembled, panted and slowly set off in opposite directions, their steam dissolving into fizzy grey clouds under the heavy rain.

Gilberto jumped, grabbed the handle next to the door, and leant back to help Felipe onto the slippery step. They both caught back their breaths, hands on their knees, after they were safely inside the hallway, looking at each other slightly haggardly: it had been awfully close. Ten seconds later and Diego was on his way to the unknown without them…

Fei Liu wasn't happy, to say the least. He _had_ enjoyed being thrown in the air and had softly landed on the pile of charcoal, not at all frayed by the mean used to get him back on the train. But he had not even waited for Lin Chen to make sure his long black hair was combed back to perfection to start rambling about almost staying back while the iron monster took away his Su- _gege_.

Since they were back on tracks, so to say, Lin Chen really didn't care about anything else than the fact his immaculate sleeves were now not only damp but also dirty. He ignored the little bodyguard's furious glares and angry sputtering, just like he would have done with a cat in a back alley, and climbed back inside the train, eager to tell Mei Changsu about the pretty girl he had spotted behind a brothel's barred window.

Gilberto wasn't very proud of himself but, at least, Diego would make fun of him and laughing was something that always did good to his brother. He deliberately looked away from the reproachful signs Felipe was making at him and marched to their compartment.

The door slid open.

Diego, who had been staring at the window, quite worried, spun on his heels when he heard them.

\- "What happened? I was about to–" he started.

Mei Changsu's eyes fluttered open when the wooden panel banged against the door frame.

\- "Already back?" he asked sleepily. "I would have thought-"

But then they stopped and stared and for a second both their brilliant brains felt as numb and powerless as their frail bodies, because it was not whom they had been expected who had stepped in.

Gilberto's throat dried up. Felipe's eyes widened big. Lin Shu swallowed hard. Fei Liu frowned.

It took them about six seconds to realise they were not in the right train.

oOoOoOo

They were going North instead of South. He would have noticed earlier, if he had not been so worried about having almost left Diego alone. Well, now, he had done it. If Father ever learnt about this… if something, _anything_ , happened to his brother while they were separated… Gilberto had to take a deep breath to stop the panic from getting to his head. He clenched his fists, closed his eyes shorty, then looked at Felipe.

But the boy wasn't closed to tears, signing frantically or glowering at him or making crazy plans to stop the freaking train before it would get to the next station (and what else could they do, really, other than that and hating themselves along the way?). No, Felipe was looking at the stranger they had found in 'their' compartment.

Gilberto frowned, because Felipe _should_ have been as disarrayed as him, not paying attention to some unknown Chinese passenger. Then he too took a closer look.

The man was tall, almost as tall as the twins (who were well above average in Alta California, and that was saying). He was about their age, but he looked thinner and frailer than Diego, even though he was just as pale and seemed to be just as ill and exhausted. He was wearing thick linen robes, in all likelihood warmer than anyone else they had met, and a woollen blue coat lined with white fur, which seemed more expansive and fancy than his plain white clothes. His dark hair was neatly tied in a high bun and his brown eyes were studying them calmly.

Gilberto shifted uncomfortably.

There was _something_ hiding in these eyes. The man might have looked sickly and harmless enough, Zorro's instinct was telling him that it was _not_ an ordinary folk he had in front of him.

oOoOoOo

They were going South instead of North. How could he have not noticed earlier? Blasted monkey! Stupid sweaty down-the-mountain people and stupid country beauty who had made him lost his common sense. _This_ should never had happened. Li Gang was going to give him hell. Actually, the whole _Alliance_ was going to give him hell for losing sight of their precious leader.

Lin Chen wasn't worried about Mei Changsu – the man was resourceful, and his health had not been too bad these past days, he would be fine – as long as he did not try to come back walking from the next station… as long as the weather did not take a turn for the worse – curse it, it was already raining… Spring could be really chilly in these parts, sometimes it even snowed… Darn! This was a _disaster_. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to the wisest man on Langya List because his foolish _doctor_ had been side-tracked enough by a woman to take the _wrong_ train.

Lin Chen huffed and stamped his foot, angry at himself and at his lack of options to save the day. He realised that Fei Liu had stop rambling and looked at the boy. The little bodyguard was still very stiff, but his dangerously slit-closed eyes were now round-opened and almost fascinated. So Lin Chen flipped his long shiny black hair behind his shoulder, opened his fan and took a closer look at the stranger they had found in 'their' compartment.

He was _tall_. Taller than anyone Lin Chen had seen (even taller than Mei Changsu who was by far the tallest man in all Langya Province) and dressed in a weird fashion, even for a westerner: frilly jabot and ruffles at his wrists, fringed sash at his waist, embroideries on his tailcoat jacket, large hat, fitted vest, sleeves and even on his trousers, that were wider at the ankle. His shoulders were broad and his features very square. He had hair on his upper lip and his sharp blue gaze was almost mesmerizing. But all this couldn't hide the fact that he was a very sick man. Lin Chen _was_ a doctor, after all, and the best in a good several thousand _li_ around ( _even though he currently agreed with Fei Liu who liked to call him a quack_ ): you couldn't hide some things from him and it didn't take him more than a few minutes to analyse the way the western man breathed and moved, and to guess he had a heart ailment.

\- "Sick?" asked Fei Liu, cocking his head to the side. He pointed at the stranger. "Like Su- _gege_?"

Lin Chen rolled his eyes.

\- "No, you monkey. It's two totally different illnesses. I'm the expert. Don't make me lose my job."

The man frowned.

\- "You…a doctor?" he asked in bad Chinese, turning to Lin Chen who couldn't help gaping. "My name… Diego de la Vega."

He struggled with his next words, visibly trying to remember memorised vocabulary.

\- "My friends… not good train. I think."

\- "Yes, well. Us too", said Lin Chen nonchalantly, fanning himself. " _Our_ friend is probably with yours. Going North, while we are on our way back to South. Wonderful."

The man grinned. He had a nice smile. Broad and big and genuine. The sort of smile Mei Changsu never _ever_ had on his face... Lin Chen felt a pang of sadness.

\- "Friend!" said Fei Liu with a satisfied nod, turning away from the stranger. "We go to Su- _gege_ , now."

Lin Chen moistened his lips.

\- "We'll have to wait until the train stop for that, Little Fei Liu. And I'm afraid we'll have to take another train afterwards and then only we'll be back with your Su- _gege_. That is, of course, if he hasn't taken things in his hands and decided to get back to us on his own – and if he does, I shall kill him. Spring is cold, it's raining, these dratted trains are anything but comfortable and he won't last long going back and forth on these lines. I really hope he'll have the brains to go all the way to Zhengzhou and to wait there for us with Li Gang."

He was trying to be his usual light and wry self, but his worry was showing at the corners of his eyes. Fei Liu sobered up.

\- "Su- _gege_? Su- _gege_!" he asked again, first plaintively, then with some anger.

Lin Shu sighed. He was bracing himself for yet another painful conversation with Mei Changsu's little shadow, when Diego de la Vega stepped closer and reached out to Fei Liu to pet his head, saying something in Spanish that sounded like "I'm sure it's going to be okay, little one".

Lin Chen had no time to worry about Fei Liu grabbing the stranger's arm and sending him to crash against the wall – which surely would have killed such a sick man – because what the man said right after that in his bad Chinese took him so much by surprise that his mind went blank for a second.

\- "Something terrible happened to this young boy, I think."

The man seemed pained, not by the fact that Fei Liu had shirked his hand swiftly (the boy had been surprisingly insightful) but by his dawning realisation.

\- "His head – his _mind_ … it's broken, isn't it?"

No one _– no one_ had ever seen past the childish face or the brutal moves of the former assassin. People sometimes figured something was wrong with Fei Liu, but they always seemed to think it was somehow his fault if he acted crazy. No one had ever met the boy and looked at him the way _Mei Changsu_ had looked at the brat on the day Lin Chen had brought him to the monastery.

The doctor narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

 _Who was that man? What kind of power held these blue eyes and this smiling face? And since_ when _could deadly sick people see through others' souls?_

He cleared his throat.

\- "I'd advise you not to try touching him without his permission again", he drawled. "This could have you killed, next time."

Diego nodded.

\- "I understand", he said sadly.

And then he swayed, because obviously his heart had coped so far with the situation, but it couldn't stretch on with this kind of stress any longer. Lin Chen automatically went into doctor's mode and he quickly helped the man to lie down, lifted his feet and undid his collar.

\- "Where's the medicine you're taking?" he pressed.

Diego was gasping for air. He tried to speak but failed. His fingers were clawing at Lin Chen's arm, desperately drawing signs the Chinese doctor could not understand.

Fei Liu whimpered, worried. He was hovering behind them and it was upsetting. Lin Chen was about to snap at the boy to step back, when Fei Liu suddenly held out to him a small phial. The young doctor grabbed it, snatched it open and smelled it, before he shoved it in front of the widened blue eyes of his western patient.

Diego de la Vega nodded frantically.

Half an incense stick later, it was over. Lin Chen sank on the bench next to the now sleeping man and he smiled at Fei Liu who was crawling to him on the wooden seat.

\- "How did you know it was that we needed?" he asked softly, letting the young boy sit next to him and handing him a snack, for once not playing with the dark ponytail so that Fei Liu would feel almost like if he was with Mei Changsu.

\- "Smelled like Su- _gege_ 's bad-but-good potions", munched the young bodyguard.

\- "He was right. You _are_ paying attention."

Lin Chen sighed.

 _I hope you have someone as clever and loving as this one with you now, my friend…_ he silently prayed. _Please be okay, Changsu. We'll soon come to you._

oOoOoOo

Felipe _was_ worried, but he couldn't stop peering curiously at the man. There was something about him that made him think of Diego…. And it wasn't only the fact he was tall. Maybe it was his elegant manners, the way he held his back straight and regal, even though he seemed very weak. Diego always carried himself like a caballero, even on bad days when he had to lean on tables or on someone to navigate a room.

Maybe it was the smile. This man had softer features than Diego, a thinner face, but the same kindness in his jaw, and eyes which _really_ looked at you. He had figured Felipe was mute in less than two minutes and, about an hour later, he was already capable of understanding a few signs. This told a lot about his character.

Gilberto wasn't trusting him at all and looked on edge, like if he was expecting the man to suddenly jump at his throat with a knife. _That_ was nowhere close to happen. The stranger could barely get up without fighting a bout of dizziness and he kept shivering despite his very warm clothes and his fur-lined cloak. He didn't have a fever, though. Felipe had checked.

The man had chuckled at the tentative hand reaching to his brow. He had said something in Chinese and looked very interested by their home-made dictionary, when Gilberto had taken it out. He had even managed a few sentences in bad English – a feat that had astonished them.

But then, it wasn't that surprising. The man looked like a scholar, and he seemed to be just as interested in discovering new things and meeting new people than Diego was.

There was not much to do while they were waiting for the train to reach his destination, so they had sat together in the small compartment, sometimes making a comment about something they glimpsed or heard – not always managing in translating it properly, which was sometimes quite funny, but most of the time very frustrating.

The rain was still falling. Rivulets were drifting down the window glass and the country outside was only a blur of green and grey.

Gilberto was pretending to nap, but Felipe knew otherwise. It didn't matter.

The stranger had tried to read, then stopped, obviously tired. He seemed a lot more incommoded by the bumping of the train and the dampness than Diego had been. It was almost as if he was always in pain. Sometimes, he coughed and quickly hid his handkerchief in his wide sleeves, while he tried to catch his breath.

He always smiled at Felipe afterwards, like if he needed to reassure him.

Felipe wanted to tell him that he was no baby, that he was studying medicine and would have gladly helped if he could. But of course, he couldn't, neither in signs nor in written Chinese.

By the third hour, Gilberto had definitely fallen asleep, lulled by the patter of the rain on the roof and the train's regular motion, and Felipe had moved to the other bench, to sit next to the stranger. He needed to _do_ something to stop the worry gnawing at his heart.

The man had taken out of a basket something that looked like a notepad, and grinded some ink in a small golden box. He had shown Felipe how to write with a long silky pencil.

It was very different than writing with a quill – quite difficult too – but it felt like learning something new with Diego. The man was very, _very_ patient, and he also seemed to have the capability of making _anything_ interesting.

They had drawn all sorts of things, taught each other their names – the man was called Mei Changsu. He had a funny way of pronouncing Felipe's name, stretching and separating the syllables.

He had explained that he was travelling with two companions. One who had long untied hair like a woman and who was apparently some kind of a doctor, and a young boy who was either his son or his little brother, someone he seemed to love very much and who had a name that sounded a bit like Felipe's.

When night had settled down outside and it had been necessary to light the candle in the booth's lantern, Gilberto had stretched and opened his eyes. He then had joined in writing in the notepad, also asking questions in a mixture of Chinese and English and mimics and noises, to know more about the country, the next train stop and the stranger's companions who were possibly with Diego, if they had done the same mistake.

Mei Changsu also looked like Diego when he was talking with Gilberto. There was something in his poise, in his eyes, on his features, that suddenly made him look a lot sharper, a lot stronger… _something akin to longing as well_ … _as if he, too, had been a warrior once and had been forced to let go of a sword his hands could no longer hold._

Felipe wanted to get back to Diego even faster, to tell him about the mysterious passenger. He was convinced he would love to talk to Mei Changsu.

Diego had started to learn some Chinese since they had planned the journey, and like everything he did, he had been quite good at it. The stranger's English was getting better and better with every sentence. They definitely would get along well.

Gilberto was fluent in Russian, Latin and French. His English had also greatly improved in the last few years, but he was nowhere as good as his brother with foreign languages. He was good at making people trust him, though, and he could be awfully charming with the ladies when he wanted to (he rarely wanted to).

\- "The other man… the sick man in the right train… Di Ego? He's… brother to you?" asked Mei Changsu softly, later on, when Felipe had gone in search of latrines and someplace to refill their wineskins.

Gilberto ran a hand in his hair. His blue eyes were bright, but hard and sad at the same time, in the darkness of the booth.

\- "Indeed he is", he said. "My twin brother, my best friend… the greatest man on Earth."

He had to scribble little drawings to explain "twin".

\- "You love him."

Gilberto shrugged.

\- "I do. Who wouldn't like his brother? Especially a brother like _him_."

\- "I know brothers who only dream of killing each other… " Mei Changsu said calmly, although there was a terrible sadness in this quiet voice.

He seemed lost in his thoughts for a few minutes. Then he closed the notepad on his lap, slowly folded his long bony hands on it.

\- "I have… a _brother_ like yours. Not really my brother, but just the same. We were… brought up together. We laughed, cried, fought together. He… he thinks I'm dead, now."

His face darkened even more.

\- "Might as well be, in this condition..."

He coughed in his sleeve again, struggling to breathe, pale and feverish, and suddenly not looking composed and dignified, but just very frail – so very, _very_ similar to Diego when he was so sick that all hope abandoned him.

But Mei Changsu wasn't Diego and they weren't in California. They were complete strangers. So even though his heart squeezed painfully, Gilberto didn't make a move to put his arm on the young man's shoulders, like he would have done for his twin at home, in the hacienda's roses garden.

\- "Do you see him, sometimes?" he asked instead, when the man had caught back his breath and leaned again, tiredly, against the wooden wall.

Mei Changsu shook his head. He pulled his cloak closer, shivering.

\- "I haven't seen him in eleven years. Nor him, nor my love. I will. Soon. But they won't know me."

He had a poor smile.

Gilberto wasn't sure he had understood right.

\- "What do you mean? You will surprise them by coming back when they're not expecting you?"

\- "You can say it like this. A disguise. Like a game. To help my friend, my brother, while _they_ think I'm working for _them_ … And then we'll have a better country, with a good king. He, too, is the best of men."

Mei Changsu's smile sent a shiver down Gilberto's spine, this time. It was almost as if he was staring in a deep well, like if he was swallowed by grief, scorched by hatred, sinking into resignation after a very, _very_ long fall.

Zorro had been borne out of despair, too. Diego had longed to be able to do _something_ for the people of Alta California and when he had come up with this crazy scheme, Gilberto had gladly seized that opportunity to make himself useful, despite the fact it meant death and jail and torture for him, if the Fox's identity was to be discovered… but there was something sinister in Mei Changsu's soft voice. Like if he didn't fear _possible_ bad outcomings in his plan, whatever it was… like if he _knew_ it would not end well. Like if he was alone in the whole world, all alone against great dark forces.

And yet the strength in his resolution and his faith in this 'brother' of his were shining in his eyes.

Gilberto's throat tightened up.

He had seen that look before. He knew exactly how it felt to be loved and trusted that much and he hoped, _really hoped_ , that Mei Changsu's friend was worth the sacrifices made for him.


	2. Two hearts

The rain was still falling. Lin Chen was glaring at the window, as if he could force it to stop.

It wasn't working.

Fei Liu giggled again – a crystalline sound, pure and childish, like a ray of light in this dark, cold and wet night.

\- "Again!" the boy demanded, clapping his hands happily.

Lin Chen turned his head lazily towards them. Diego de la Vega had woken up earlier and was now performing magic tricks for the little bodyguard. He wasn't fine, to say the least, but he was smiling and trying his best to pretend he didn't feel like crap.

He was a lot better at that than Changsu.

Lin Chen tried not to let his worry drown him. His friend was probably chilled to the bone, by now. Possibly developing a fever. Maybe coughing blood. Definitely getting worse. They would never make it in time to see the rainbow mountains: more likely they would spend the next month locked in some stuffy rooms, fighting old demons and failing organs.

Lin Shu would be back.

Lin Chen _hated_ Lin Shu. Mei Changsu was reasonable about his condition (if reasonable meant knowing overtaxing yourself would kill you and still bribing the monks to let you do whatever you wanted to), but Lin Shu was irritable, acid, restless – a wretched soul in a broken body. When Mei Changsu was really sick, when his mind got lost in his nightmares, Lin Shu took over and it was hell all over again, like in the first years.

Lin Chen had not once regretted saving the young captain, but he never wanted to go back to the time when his patient was only charred skin and shattered bones, a screaming mass of blood and hatred.

 _Mei Changsu_ was his friend. An incredible leader, a brilliant mind, a compassion above any other, a deep laughter, a kind smile.

 _Mei Changsu_ was the one Lin Chen had dedicated his life to, even if it meant making sure _Lin Shu_ would live long enough to see his country rid of corruption and his people ruled by a good king.

The young doctor pursed his lips, fighting back the tears swelling up in his throat.

Sometimes, on dark cold nights like this one, he doubted he was the right man for the task his father had entrusted him with. What Mei Changsu wanted to do was so big, so great, so crazily courageous and selfless and Lin Chen… Lin Chen was just a selfish, foolish, irresponsible _sod_.

\- "I don't think so", said the stranger, sitting heavily next to him after looking in his bag for something he had given Fei Liu.

Lin Chen didn't bother asking about the western candy. Fei Liu had the stomach of a mountain yack. He would be fine.

\- "I beg your pardon?" he said instead, hastily fanning himself with the least grace and natural he had ever shown in his life.

The man laughed. His blue eyes twinkled.

\- "It's cold", he said.

\- "It smells", retorted Lin Chen, arching a brow to show he wasn't fazed at all by the stranger's capacity to read minds.

\- "I don't read minds", said Diego de la Vega gently. "But I can see when someone is feeling miserable. My brother makes this kind of face quite often, unfortunately… Come on, cheer up, Señor. I'm sure you didn't fail your friend. If he's with my brother and Felipe, he's in good hands. You'll get him back in one piece. Stop beating yourself."

_What kind of devil could learn your language so fast?_

Lin Chen glared at the blue eyes that were smiling kindly. This colour wasn't natural, after all. Maybe the monks were right, and the westerners did come from hell…

Fei Liu climbed on the bench and squatted, circling his legs with his arms, his face smeared with red sugar, looking as happy as a bee.

\- "More", he ordered.

Diego chuckled. He produced a lace handkerchief, poured some water from the wineskin on it and proceeded with cleaning the young bodyguard's sticky face. Fei Liu flinched at first, but then he complied, fidgeting only a little, as if the pained flash of incomprehension in the stranger's eyes had been enough to convince him he had nothing to fear.

Lin Chen was seriously starting to wonder if Diego de la Vega had mysterious powers.

\- "I think I must remind him of your friend. What does he look like?" asked the stranger. "Señor _Sous-gueux-gueux_ , isn't it?"

Lin Chen convulsed in laughter and Fei Liu shot him a glare.

\- "Su- _gege_ ", the boy corrected solemnly.

\- "Oh, I'm so sorry", apologised Diego very sincerely.

\- "His name is Mei Changsu", specified the doctor, still wiping fake tears of laughter at the corner of his eyes. "And yes, you _do_ act a lot like him. You don't look the least alike, though."

Diego fiddled absent-mindedly with his moustache.

\- "I wouldn't dare think so, of course. Could you tell me more about him? He must be someone very dear to you both. You've been eating yourself with worry and Little Fei Liu here wouldn't have given his trust to an ordinary man."

Lin Chen practically burst with pride. He felt very much like a mother gloating about her favourite daughter, but this didn't stop him.

\- "Oh, you won't meet another man like Changsu in ten dynasties! A brilliant mind, a strategist like no other, with an incredible capacity of overseeing many outcomes to one single event. He's at the top of Langya List for his wisdom – a true gentleman and the fierce leader of one of the most powerful sects in all Jianghu, the _Alliance of the Eastern River_."

\- "Wow", said Diego, looking genuinely impressed.

Lin Chen beamed.

\- "But that's not all! He's also-"

\- "Nice", interjected Fei Liu very seriously. "Su- _gege_ , good."

His round eyes were bright and clever like those of a loving child, but a fleeting shadow had darkened them fugitively, like a forgotten memory.

\- "Su- _gege_ save Fei Liu", he went on, crouched on the bench, making small incomprehensible gestures with his lithe hands. "Bad people. Screams. Blood, hungry. Hurt. Snow, lots of snow. Lost. Su- _gege_ comes. No more bad. Eat well. Warm. Learn new things. Fei Liu love Su- _gege_. Never away. Always protect."

The monkey's smile was always so proud and so beautiful when he was telling his sad little story... Lin Chen wished he could paint it, but he couldn't, because it hurt too much to remember _who_ truly had saved who.

\- "Su- _gege_ sick", added Fei Liu, frowning. "Digo- _gege_ sick too. Who protects you?"

Diego smiled, but he looked like if he was about to cry. He reached out again – _really, the man relied too much on his lucky star_ – and patted Fei Liu's small head.

\- "Gilberto and Felipe take very good care of me", he said. "They love me just as much as you love Señor Mei Changsu. He's… _we_ are blessed men to have people like you in our lives."

He looked up and his blue gaze pierced through Lin Chen's soul with incommensurable kindness.

\- "There's nothing _more_ you need to do. There's nothing to prove. We don't want to be saved – we're not asking for a miracle. You've done everything you could and it's _fine_. It's all right. We just need you by our sides, now. We want to share whatever time is left with you."

Lin Chen bit his lip to blood. He was very pale. He slowly shook his head.

\- "I won't stay still", he muttered, carefully controlling his voice, afraid it would tremble. "I will try again and again and _again_ , until the end. I won't let him live only to accomplish his mission. He deserves _more_ – much more than anyone else – and I _will_ save him. Even if it means defying him."

Diego closed his eyes wearily. His right hand brushed against his chest, absent-mindedly massaging his ailing heart, then fall back to the bench… only to meet Fei Liu's dark mop of hair. The boy had curled up by his side and was yawning.

Diego reopened his eyes and smiled.

\- "Hungry or sleepy, my young friend?" he asked softly.

\- "A lot hungry, a little sleepy", said Fei Liu. "When see Su- _gege_?"

\- "Tomorrow. Or maybe even later than that", drawled Lin Chen, even though he knew it was unkind of him.

Fei Liu glared at him, but Diego soothed the boy's head with his large hand.

\- "I might have another candy somewhere in my bag. And when we get there, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to have a wonderful meal at the inn. I'll pay for it. I don't know what I would have done if I had not met you two."

Fei Liu and Lin Chen snorted at the same time, startling Diego a bit.

\- "Inn no good", said Felipe flatly, waving a finger in the air from his still curled up position on the bench, by Diego's hip.

\- "He's not wrong about that. But we left friends in Nankin and they'll have us for the night. Believe me, they _will_ make sure we're fed till our bellies are about to burst", explained Lin Chen. "I'll put in a word for you to stay at our place until your brother gets back to you."

\- "You're most kind", said Diego gratefully.

Lin Chen lightly tapped his chin with the closed fan, debating with himself how much he needed to tell the stranger about the local den of the _Alliance_.

\- "I won't ask questions", said Diego.

He looked drained, but his blue eyes twinkled again when the doctor pulled a face, visibly annoyed by this yet other demonstration of mind-reading powers.

Fei Liu was playing with the frills at the man's cuff, humming happily, but his sharp ears were aware of the least noise in the hallway and there was a shadow in his dark eyes that told of his silent longing.

Diego looked uncomfortable and worried, despite his calm voice and his kind smile as he told the story of a black fox driving some bad officer crazy with pranks in a faraway sunny land.

Lin Chen sighed.

_Helpless. They were both helpless. And he was quite sure Mei Changsu and the mute boy called Felipe were in the same fretful state._

He could only hope this Gilberto had more sense in his head than to let himself drown into culpability.

oOoOoOo

Gilberto was whipping himself mentally for taking the wrong train – _again_. It could be read plain and clear on his face. Felipe and Mei Changsu shared a look and sighed together.

\- "What?" snapped Gilberto.

\- " _Nothing_ ", signed Felipe, rolling his eyes.

\- "Do you have a place to stay in Zhengzhou?" asked Mei Changsu, shifting uncomfortably on the wooden bench.

He wanted to get up and stretch his legs, but the train was shaking too much and he knew he would feel dizzy anyway. The fire in his bones always felt fiercer on cold nights and the journey had exhausted him. He longed for a quiet room, warm soft furs and a cup of fragrant tea, but he knew he would only get disgusting medicine, worried people fretting about him and a restless night waiting for a pigeon from Nankin.

Felipe nudged him.

\- " _You don't look too good_ ", he signed. " _Do you carry your medicine with you?_ "

Mei Changsu wanted to laugh. This boy was almost as bad a mother hen as Lin Chen.

\- "My medicine needs to be brewed", he explained. "I'll have it when we'll arrive. I'm sure Li Gang – he's my butler and a faithful friend – will have some ready when we get there."

He coughed and wiped his lips tiredly, not bothering to hide the little smear of pink on his sleeve. Felipe held to him the wineskin he had found nowhere to refill, and the man drank gratefully the last drops.

\- "You are very welcome to stay at my place for the night", he then said. "There won't be trains until tomorrow morning, and I think it's best to wait for news from my friends before doing anything."

Gilberto nodded, but the frown did not leave his brow. He knew it was the best solution, but he couldn't bear thinking of Diego left alone in Nankin.

\- "They will invite your brother", softly reminded Mei Changsu. "He'll be safe there. Lin Chen is a very skilled doctor and Fei Liu is the best bodyguard you can get."

\- " _Why do you need a bodyguard?_ " asked Felipe.

Gilberto perked up a bit: this had also been a question trotting in his mind since they had met the stranger.

Mei Changsu smiled.

\- "I'm the leader of a very powerful guild of merchants. Which means I have many enemies – in the trade and outside as well. But, as you can see, I can't protect myself. Fei Liu makes sure nothing happens to me."

Gilberto was convinced there was _more_ to this, but he couldn't well express his doubts without being rude to their host, so he kept quiet.

\- " _Gilberto can protect you. He's a swordsman_ ", Felipe signed proudly. " _The best swordsman in the whole of California!"_

Mei Changsu's eyes flickered for a second on the caballero's hands, like if it was something he had long guessed.

\- "Really?" he said politely.

Gilberto shrugged.

\- "Fei Liu prefers to fight with his bare hands and feet", added Mei Changsu a minute later, as in some after-thought. "I don't know what would happen if you two were to duel."

He smiled again, but sadly, just when Gilberto was wondering if the man was taunting him and if he should feel offended.

\- "Fei Liu loves a good brawl, but I'd rather him pluck flowers from neighbouring gardens. He's only a child, after all… I was younger than you, Fe Li Pe, when I went to my first war. I had been trained to fight all my short existence, but… I still remember it to this day, although it wasn't the worst battle I was into…"

He shivered.

\- "Battles are no place for children."

\- "They're no place for men either", said Gilberto darkly. "Killing isn't natural. It drives people crazy to smell human blood and one can never forget the feeling of ripping flesh and bones with a blade."

Mei Changsu was even paler than before, if it was possible.

\- "You were a soldier", he whispered.

\- "So were you", said Gilberto, his blue gaze burning into the brown eyes of the man. "I figured from the moment we met. I just couldn't find any evidence. You must have been sick for a long time, Señor."

Felipe looked at them both alternatively, surprised. He never would have thought the man had such a past.

\- " _Is that true?_ " he asked. " _What happened?_ "

Mei Changsu closed his eyes for a minute, then reopened them with a sad smile.

\- "It's too long a story to tell in a train. And I promised someone I wouldn't wake up the ghosts of the past before another year had passed… Please do excuse me. I am weary and I don't feel too well."

Felipe nodded hastily, patting the bony white hand with compassion. He glared at Gilberto to warn him not to insist, but Zorro had never been man to forgo his lead when he was on a trail.

\- "I spent seven years hiding under a mask", he said slowly. "I used to pretend I was uninterested in politics and too much of a bore to get into the trouble to care for anything else than my poor little self."

Felipe urgently signed that it wasn't true, but Gilberto captured his hands and brought them down to shut him up.

\- "My brilliant brother – Diego – was the brains and the heart of the hero we had created. He never once stopped fighting for freedom and justice, even though he was sometimes so ill we thought he would…"

He cleared his suddenly constricted throat, then went on, acutely aware of the muddy depth of the brown eyes that were listening to him.

\- "We got what we wanted, in the end: a better place to live for the people, reasonable taxes and a fair alcalde. Zorro wasn't needed anymore. He faded into the shadows and no one – except for our father and Señorita Victoria, my brother's fiancée – ever learnt of the Fox's identity."

\- "Were you disappointed?" asked Mei Changsu in a low voice that was no more than a whisper.

Gilberto shook his head. His blue eyes were blazing – Felipe didn't remember ever seeing him in such a passionate state.

\- " _Never_ ", he breathed. "Zorro lives on. A legend and a hope. He's a lot bigger than I am. I'm glad I had a part in this, but I don't need any thanks. It was my duty and my honour to fight for my country, alongside my brother. It was a cause worth dying for, not a cause you'd live on the glory after."

A tear glistened on Mei Changsu's pale face. He slowly nodded.

\- "I understand", he said. "I do."

And Felipe felt a shiver ran down his spine, because he only now understood that far from collapsing, like he had feared it would happened if Diego had died during Zorro's time, Gilberto would have carried on with his mission with the same cold resolution he could read on Mei Changsu's face – until the _end_.

\- "I don't need to know what happened to you or what you're planning to do", said Gilberto, frowning. "But here's one little piece of advice which I think I'm the only one who can give you. You can be ready to die for your cause – but try living for the ones who love you, under your real name or another. The world, even if it's at peace, will be a very lonely and very sad place for them to be if you're gone by the end of your quest."

Felipe swallowed hard. Mei Changsu sighed. His brown eyes were very soft.

\- "Thank you. But you know, it's a bit different for me… My friends have already grieved for me", he said simply. " I died a long time ago. I just need to remember it too."

oOoOoOo

By the time the train got to the next station, Diego de la Vega had had two more episodes. They had not been too bad – not the kind that would have needed throwing a bucket of cold water on him to stop the spell, which would have been quite difficult on a train where there was neither water or bucket – but they had exhausted him and frightened Fei Liu. The boy was stuck to his new friend, whimpering softly at the smallest sigh of the patient, holding his large hand in his small paws and looking at him from so close that it made Diego chuckled weakly whenever he opened his eyes and found himself stared at from less than two inches.

\- "He's going to be fine", grunted Lin Chen for the umpteenth time. "I suppose it's your way of coping with not being able to care for your Su- _gege_ , but-"

\- "I don't mind", said Diego gently. He pushed himself on his elbows, trying to get a bit more comfortable on the bags piled behind him, and gave up when his heart started to race again.

\- " _Ask_ , if you need something", scolded Lin Chen, helping him up.

He checked him for a fever, grumbled something about western almost-see-through fabrics, pulled the blanket over the man's chest, then realized what he was doing and stepped back, sitting on this opposite bench. At Diego's feet, Fei Liu opened an eye, reached out and completed the gesture.

Lin Chen snorted. He flipped back his long black hair, fiddled with his fan, then tucked it back inside his sleeve.

\- " _He_ needs to be kept warm at all times", he explained. "We've taken into the habit of lighting a brazier in his rooms even in Summer, and we're always worrying about the weather. Even Little Fei Liu knows his master's biggest enemies are snow, rain, drafts and damp clothes."

Diego did not ask what ailed Mei Changsu, but Lin Chen went on anyways, as if talking about this to a complete stranger somehow relieved him from a too heavy burden. The candle's light flickering in his dark eyes made them look even sadder.

\- "I had never heard of this illness before I met him. My father himself knew it only from the books. It's a bitch of a disease, you see, and a very ironic one. It can be describe as having a fire raging in your bones… and yet the patients are _always_ freezing", he muttered bitterly. "Most of the time, I can't do anything, just watch him suffer or dose him so he won't be in pain – but then it's like robbing him from his own life."

Diego nodded: he understood very well. Gilberto was often giving him laudanum at the beginning, too, but he had stopped afterwards, not only because it was dangerous, but mostly because his twin had begged him not to.

He could come to terms with dying – everybody died, after all – but not with slipping out of his life without even noticing it.

\- "It's so unfair", said Lin Chen through gritted teeth. "There are _so many_ people out there who _deserve_ to suffer torments like these, and it's _him_ who…"

He bit his lips, lowering his head, crushing his hands together on his lap.

Diego shook his head.

\- " _No one_ deserves to suffer", he started gently. "I've…"

\- "Oh, believe me, some do!" cut in sharply the young doctor, jumping to his feet, his eyes blazing furiously. "You've no idea what _they_ did to him! There's no-"

He stopped suddenly, clenched his fists, sat back slowly.

\- "It's nothing you need to know, after all", he grunted.

Fei Liu, who had sat up, on alert, curled back again, looking like an annoyed cat woken up during a nap, and went back to sleep when Diego gently stroked his head.

\- "I'm sorry", said the stranger. "I have no right to lecture you."

Lin Chen rolled his eyes, because pursing his lips hurt where he had gnawed them.

\- "I _suppose_ you do, actually. What's the matter with you exactly?"

Diego de la Vega smiled to him – _and oh, there_ really _was something magic in these kind blue eyes, because Lin Chen's anger was already melting away, only leaving behind his worry and his love for his friend_.

\- "I got sick when I was in Spain for my studies, ten years ago: something stupid, like chicken pox. Most of our fellow students got it. _Gilberto_ got it. But I, for some reason, could never recover. When my brother brought me back to California, my heart was already irremediably damaged, and the doctors had told him I would probably die soon. I didn't die, obviously, but I never went back to the healthy man I was before."

Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully. Diego sighed.

\- "I sort of hoped you'd say there _was_ a solution, you being the genius doctor you claim to be", he said almost humorously.

Lin Chen cringed.

\- "Well, I'm no miracle maker. Bones, flesh, even awfully burnt or scarred skin… it can be mend with proper care. Or replaced. But I can't take off someone's heart and sew another one instead."

His voice choked a bit and Diego almost didn't hear the next sentence he said.

\- "Changsu's heart _was_ the only thing still alive in his body when we found him, that's why we could work at saving the rest…"

He closed his eyes, wanting to chase away the dreadful memories of their first year at the young captain's bedside, but they were burning as hot as the fires of the Northern Mountains and tears were stinging under his lashes.

\- "It never stopped you from doing things you thought were right, though", he groaned. "Being sick and weak, I mean. If I take that half of the stories you told Fei Liu were true, you've been tremendously busy for a dying man in the past decade."

Diego grinned.

\- "My brother did all the physical work."

Lin Chen tucked a strand of long black hair behind his ear and tisked.

\- "Well, that's how _he_ intends it to be too. He'll be the brains and those helpless fools will execute his orders to the last brush of ink."

Diego's blue eyes were staring at him intensely and he knew what the next question would be – but he could not answer it. He had already said far too much. The Californians were kind – and foreigners. Surely there was no way they could be spies for the Emperor or his sons. But one could never be too careful. Mei Changsu had worked too hard at his plan for it to fail just because Lin Chen would have been too trusting.

Fortunately, the train slowed down with perfect timing and its whistle echoed deafeningly, startling up Fei Liu who jumped into a fight position.

\- "We're entering Nankin's station", said Lin Chen after a quick glance outside, frowning because the rain was still falling heavily.

He turned to Diego, his narrowed eyes sizing him up and down.

\- "Will you be able to walk?"

The man nodded and sat up painfully. And then frowned and gagged and was sick on the floor, effectively spooking Fei Liu who was fairly familiar with Mei Changsu's bouts of vomiting, which always ended with throwing up blood and having his life on the balance.

\- "Easy there", said Lin Chen, grabbing the boy's shoulders before he would get frantic and steadying him. "Diego- _gege_ will be fine. It's _not_ the same illness. He just got up to fast, that's all. It's like… D'you remember when you got clubbed on your head by that big uncle in Hangzhou? You were feeling dizzy and throwing up just the same. He's going to be alright; I promise."

Fei Liu's bright round eyes were full of fear and anger at his own powerlessness, but he nodded, his lips tightly pursed, and unstiffened a bit.

Lin Chen looked at him with pity, then he gathered the luggage and threw it casually by the window, not minding the least the crystalline sound of broken glass in one of the leather cases.

\- "Come on, help me get him down to the platform, Fei Liu. He's too heavy for me – or you – to carry alone. Then you'll go fetch Wei Zheng at the big house and hopefully we'll be having a nice cup of tea before sunrise."


	3. Two fates

He was far too light for a man this tall. It was like carrying a child. _Diego_ was a lot heavier – in the early years of his illness, he couldn't be left alone with Felipe, for the fourteen years old boy wouldn't have been able to catch him during a faint.

Mei Changsu weighted so little that Gilberto had been able to collect him in his arms from the bench – furs and all – and to carry him in the hallways without taking a break. Managing the step down to the platform had been a little trickier, but only because the door was very narrow.

\- "Felipe was right. You really ought to eat a bit more."

Mei Changsu sighed.

\- "You're not the first one to say so, believe me. But my illness tends to make my stomach… queasy."

His head was resting against Gilberto's shoulder, even though they had been complete strangers less than eight hours ago. He must have been really exhausted, for the caballero could guess this man had been brought up to never allow himself to show weakness. Or maybe it was the rising fever confusing him.

The rain had thankfully stopped, but the night was cold. There weren't many people on the platform, manly passengers of the train who were hurrying away sleepily, draped in their strange straw coats.

\- "Chief!" cried a voice, in which there was stupor – and indignation.

Gilberto braced himself to explain he had not done anything to the person he was carrying and turned around. Felipe, arms full with their luggage, stepped closer to him with the visible intention to defend them against whatever danger was coming.

There was no danger, but a small plump man with a goatee and his hair tied in a high bun, wearing plain clothes and carrying a reed umbrella. He looked very worried at the lantern's light.

\- "What happened?" he stammered. "Were you hurt, Captain? Who are these people? Where are Little Fei Liu and the young master?"

\- "These two are friends", explained Mei Changsu hastily – as if he needed to stop _something_ from happening.

The newcomer relaxed a bit. Mei Changsu shifted, asking to be put down, but the small man frowned and shook his head. Gilberto almost laughed. He nodded his understanding and tightened his arms to prevent the patient from standing up.

Mei Changsu rolled his eyes. He sighed and went on with the introduction, as they walked towards the exit, following the small man.

\- "There was an… unexpected turn of events at the last station and Lin Chen got in the wrong train with Fei Liu. I was blessed enough to meet Sir Gilberto and young Fe Li Pe… who had boarded the wrong train too. Sir Gilberto, this is Li Gang, my butler. These people will rest at our place before continuing their journey, Li- _dage_. Their sick friend is hopefully with Lin Chen. We'll need to check on that. Please send a bird to Nankin."

\- "Will do, Chief."

Felipe was wondering if there would be one of those man-stirred buggies waiting for them, when there was only a big wooden box with curtains and two puzzled porters in the dark empty street.

Li Gang lifted the curtains, showing a padded seat inside the box.

\- "If you please…" he said, turning to Gilberto who nodded again. He carefully put down the sick man, then stepped back and took the light the butler was handing to him – with not a care in the world for propriety.

Li Gang tucked Mei Changsu under the furs and gave him a small bronze box in which were warm ambers.

The sick man took it gratefully, but before he leaned his weary head against the cushions, he frowned and said firmly:

\- "Our guests are of noble birth, Li- _dage_. You and the rest of the household will show them the same respect you'd have for members of the royal family."

Felipe's eyes widened. He wanted to protest that he was nowhere near this important, but his hands were full, and he caught sight of Gilberto shaking his head discretely.

Li Gang bowed humbly, and he took back the lantern. He whistled and some men appeared from nowhere, rid Felipe of his load, then disappeared again, except for one who stayed behind and lighted another of these round paper lantern hanging from a rod. He had a sword at his waist and his moustache was the only thing they could see from under his cone-shaped hat.

\- "Please forgive me", said the butler meekly. And when a thin hand waved tiredly to dismiss him, he turned to the voyagers. "This way, honourable sirs."

The curtains fell back, hiding the sick man, and the porters strapped themselves to long poles and lifted the box, following Li Gang who was making sure _they_ could see where they put their feet on the uneven muddy road, even if it meant he would stumble himself.

Felipe trotted next to Gilberto's long strides. At the flickering light of the lantern, his hands asked the many questions he had not been able to ask before, even when they were still in the train, under the wistful eyes of Mei Changsu.

\- " _Where are they taking us? Is it safe to follow them? What do you think of_ him _? He looks like a good man, but…"_

\- "I don’t know, Felipe", said Gilberto quietly, his right hand coming to squeeze gently the boy's nape. The other one was – casually – close to his own sword, ready to make it jump out of its sheath. "But we'll be alright, I promise."

 _\- "Diego is_ alone _with them!"_

\- "I'm sure Diego is fine. Mei Changsu said he was with two people he trusted with his life."

He paused, thoughtful.

\- "These men seem to be very dedicated to their master. It's peculiar, though. It's not often that you see this kind of devotion from strong fighters to a scholar. Did you hear… well, probably not. Your ears cannot possibly make sense of sounds this different from the languages you're used to."

Felipe tapped him impatiently on the arm.

_\- "What is it?"_

Gilberto lowered his voice even more, although he was quite sure no one understood Spanish around him.

\- "The butler called him 'Captain', which confirms he was indeed a soldier at some point. I'm pretty sure this Li Gang served under him, and if I had to guess, I'd say he was a sergeant. Doesn't he remind you of Mendoza?"

Felipe thought for a second, then shook his head.

\- "Oh, come on!"

_\- "Stop laughing, they'll think you're making fun of them."_

Gilberto sobered up.

\- "Right. And we don't know how many others are hiding around us in the shadows. He's very well protected for a merchant, even for a rich one… _that_ 's what I was about to tell you. He asked the butler to treat us like royalty. Doesn't it seem weird to you? The man didn't even bat a lash. It's either an expression or…"

Felipe snorted.

 _\- "He cannot be a prince. He was travelling in a_ train _. Alone. With a child and a doctor, not an army. His clothes are not rich. And he's very sick."_

\- "Kings get sick too", said Gilberto.

_\- "You're silly!"_

\- "Well, I'm right, though."

Felipe didn't have time to argue back, because the porters had stopped in front of a wooden gate. Li Gang motioned to some servants who had been waiting with lanterns on the steps and they hurried to open, stirring a great deal of agitation inside the house and the yards.

Gilberto politely explained half in signs and half in broken Chinese to the butler that he fully intended to carry Mei Changsu inside and he pushed aside the brawny simpleton who was coming to do the task. Felipe smiled despite his fatigue and his anxiety: Gilberto really had thwarted to the stranger, since they had found him in the compartment. It probably was his way of coping with not being able to take care of Diego.

The caballero carried the scholar to a very warm room packed with tons of books – there were dozens of scrolls on the shelves and countless piles of blue paperbacks on the floor. Mei Changsu involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief when he was settled down on the bed and he closed his eyes for a minute, before waving off the many servants and gruff looking fellows who had followed the stranger in, watching him warily. Li Gang pushed out everyone, except for Gilberto, Felipe and a small grumpy old man who sat by the patient and immediately took his pulse, muttering something under his white beard.

\- "I'm fine", said Mei Changsu without opening his eyes. "I just need a bit of rest. Take care of my guests first."

Li Gang did not budge.

Mei Changsu opened his eyes and frowned.

\- "Will I need to repeat myself?" he asked in a cold voice, painfully prompting himself to his elbows.

Felipe again felt a shiver running down his spine. Gilberto's face was unreadable, but inside, he was more and more convinced that there was _more_ than a simple merchant guild leader or former captain's authority to this voice of command.

The old man groaned disapprovingly and helped his patient to lie again, but he then turned to the butler and nodded. Li Gang bowed and scurried out silently, signing to Gilberto and Felipe to follow him.

He took them to a large and comfortable room and made sure they had everything they needed before closing the sliding doors and leaving them on their own. Felipe flopped on the bed, surprised at how rich it looked, compared to what they had been used to since their arrival in China. It was wide, as usual, but the fluffy blankets and the thin mattress were embroidered and smelt nice. It had curtains with golden tassels, like a four-poster bed. Tea and cakes had been served on a small round table, large blue and white porcelain bowls were filled with warm and scented water and they had also been provided with delicate towels and some fresh linen robes.

Gilberto cleaned up as casually as if he was at the hacienda and dressed in one of the strange garments. Felipe was reluctant at first, but he found that he felt a lot better after washing, changing and eating some.

\- "I hope they're providing the same service to Diego", yawned Gilberto, plumping himself on the bed, his hands folded behind his neck.

Felipe nodded sleepily. His worry was numbed by the warmth in the room, the pleasant sensation of nice comfortable clothes on his now clean skin and a full stomach. He felt bad for not being devoured by anxiety, but strangely detached from what was happening to him. The thought that they might have been drugged swam lazily in his foggy brain, but he could not muster the strength to share it with Gilberto, who was already on his way to dreamland, before sleep overcame him.

oOoOoOo

They had not left him alone for a minute and if he had not been awfully grateful for their friendly presence in this foreign environment, he would have started to wonder if he was somehow their hostage.

The bed was comfortable and after the long journey, washing and changing had been very welcome. Fei Liu had wanted to try on his western clothes, and they had had a good laugh watching him dance around the room dressed only in a white frilly shirt that look like a short dress on him. Lin Chen had then ordered for a light snack to be served and brewed a pot of nice fragrant tea that he had assured would not hinder sleeping.

The dove had been sent. Diego could only wait for news of his brother, now, it would have been stupid to worry and to let his imagination run wild. Lin Chen had said something like that, in less words, after tucking him in bed like a young child.

But still, he couldn't sleep.

A candle was burning low on the table, a lonely flickering light in the dark room. Fei Liu was sprawled at the feet of the bed, snoring softly. Some birds were chirping outside – dawn was close. Lin Chen had gone out a moment ago and Diego had heard some movement outside. Servants getting up, probably, unless it was something else.

He had been sick and dizzy at the station and could not remember well how he had gotten to the house, but after he had had some rest, he had started to notice how strange these people were. Most of the servants were probably former soldiers. The others were supposedly merchants – they were dressed like so, at least – but they looked like a bunch of bandits. The weirdest thing was that everybody seemed to fear Lin Chen's temper. They were calling him "the young master" and trying their best to avoid him.

Diego couldn't help but think of Gilberto's bad habit of teasing people and how it had countless times threw off servants or guests. Because he was clever, resourceful and impatient, people tended to think that Don Alejandro's eldest son was selfish, arrogant and borderline mean… when in Diego's point of view, his brother just needed to rein in a bit his temper and remember he didn't have to pretend he was strong all the time.

Lin Chen was probably the same: gifted and handsome, surely a bit of a bully and definitely a show-off, but most of the time putting up an act to convince everybody he was capable of doing anything when actually he was the first one to doubt himself.

Diego smiled, but then he sobered up.

From what he had gathered so far, Lin Chen's sick friend was about to embark on a terrible journey to make the world a better place, and Diego prayed, _really_ prayed, that Mei Changsu would live to see it to the end, for Lin Chen's fortitude and Fei Liu's heart would probably be shattered to pieces when he would leave them.

_It would be a small comfort, at least, if they could then live in the world he'd have saved…_

He blushed and shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

_Wasn't that a big fat lie?_

Gilberto had said so too, once.

Diego was glad he had managed to accomplish his own mission. He knew he ought to be grateful to have been able to live for so long, but he couldn't help being ashamed at his greed – after such a long and hard fight, his country was finally at peace, but here he was, asking for _more_ : he wanted to be healthy, to get married, to have children, to see Gilberto happy and free.

Was it very selfish to pray for his wishes to be granted?

_Would Mei Changsu beg for a miracle too, at the end of his own journey?_

Gilberto had always been prepared for the worst, even though he had never stopped fighting with all his will for his brother to survive yet another day. Lin Chen was obviously denying the truth and seemed determined to give his friend the chance of a proper life, after all of this. Were the young doctor's goals too high? Was he blinded by his love? Or was it just exactly the right thing to hammer in a desperate man's brain?

Diego knew that deep down, he had never stopped wanting to live, and he was quite sure it was one of the reasons why he had made it so far – even though carrying on his mission sure had been a big part in it. Maybe Mei Changsu needed someone to remind him that _he_ was also worth the fight.

Fei Liu stirred and sat up, yawning and stretching. His young sleepy face smiled brightly as he turned to the man… only to give place to a pout when he found it was Diego instead of Mei Changsu next to him.

The caballero chuckled warmly at this visible disappointment.

\- "I'm sorry I'm not him!"

The morning sun was bathing the room in golden light, now.

\- "Su- _gege_ often sad", said the young bodyguard solemnly. "Fei Liu makes him happy. Smile and play and laugh. Fei Liu protects Su- _gege_. Feels better when together."

Diego smiled again, softly.

\- "I'm sure."

He patted the boy's dark hair and Fei Liu cocked his head to the side, half-closing his eyes like a content cat.

\- "Don't change, little one. I bet your love is one of the best remedies he can get."

Outside, behind the door he had been about to slide-open, Lin Chen leant against the wall, swallowing back the tears swelling up in his throat again.

 _If only_ love _would have been enough to keep Changsu alive, they would have had enough._

 _Lin Chen's, Li Gang's, Wei Zheng's, Meng Zhi's, Nihuang's… and even more with Prince Jingyan's, when he'd finally know the truth – and Lin Chen fully intended in telling him the truth before the end, whatever Changsu would say – it should have been more than_ enough _, to make anyone want to live._

But somehow Lin Chen knew it was not enough to bring back to life a man who had died a thousand deaths.

But maybe it would be enough to make him feel alive, at least for a little time…

_Was it wrong to pray for a miracle, when it wasn't only for you?_

Lin Chen had no idea that he was going to live for almost a hundred years, but he knew that the next three years would fly by like a hundred days, inexorably slipping through his hands.

oOoOoOo

Felipe would later remember these next three days as the longest days in his life. It was very strange how everything was fine and still the wait was unbearable. They were treated very nicely and there were many things to see and to write about and to draw to be able to share them later with Diego, so he should have been too busy to keep track of the time… and yet it was as if he could hear every single tick of the clock. As soon as the dove had brought in the message that Diego was indeed at the _Alliance_ 's den in the South, Mei Changsu had arranged for Gilberto and Felipe to go to Nankin, and gave instructions to send back, to make sure Diego would be cared for till they would arrive.

Then they had boarded the train once again and travelled back to the dreadful station and then farther.

It had taken them a good day and night to get to Nankin. People were waiting for them at the station with a red flag and a sign that read "This way, guys" in Spanish. Gilberto had choked on a weak laughter and he had run almost all the way to the big two-story house uphill where the servants had taken them.

Diego was waiting for them in the front yard, dressed in Chinese robes, chilling under a parasol with one of his books, as if he had not a care in the world.

But Felipe wasn't fooled. He could read on the small lines around Diego's mouth and at the corners of his eyes that he had been as worried as them. At least, he didn't look sick and for that Felipe was immensely grateful.

_Never again would he allow himself to be separated from him._

Diego barely had time to get up before Gilberto scooped him in his arms and hugged him fiercely. Felipe squeezed in between the two men like if he was still the child who had welcome the twins home some nine years ago. He was a grown-up, now, but he didn't care – he needed to feel Diego's embrace to be sure they were back together, safe and sound.

Gilberto probably needed it too, because he did not say anything for a long time, before he stepped back and cleared his throat.

\- "I'm okay", said Diego with a smile – but there was a lot of emotion in his eyes. "I promise. I'm okay."

Gilberto nodded. His lips were tightly pursed. He tried to shrug, but somehow failed, and then he had a strangled laugh.

\- "Father will kill me", he choked. "Hell, _I_ would kill _me_ too. I'm sorry, Diego. I'm _so_ sorry, little brother."

Diego frowned.

\- "Language", he said.

Then he grinned, a bit cheekily.

\- "Not that anyone can understand you here", he added with a wink.

And then Gilberto wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve and put his arm on Diego's shoulders while his brother smiled through his tears and Felipe sniffled and everything was fine again.

They never got to meet the two people that had taken the wrong train too on that fateful day. Diego told them a lot about the carefree long-haired doctor and the baby-faced fierce bodyguard who had left earlier to go back to their friend, and they answered all his questions about the strange sick man they had found in his place in the compartment.

They left Nankin to continue their journey the day after and then they met their friend, the man Zorro had saved from pirates, and Diego was examined by several nice doctors who gave him some new prescriptions, but overall were quite pleasantly surprised at his current treatments and agreed with everything Father Benitez and Señora Neilson had suggested.

They went back to California six months later and then Diego and Victoria got married and Felipe went to Monterey to study medicine and Gilberto took over most of the rancho's supervision and pretended he was bored with it, which didn't fool anyone except for the foolish and selfish young señoritas he intended to keep at a distance.

It was only seven years later that they heard again of the mysterious people they had met in China.

Felipe, who had recently taken over Doctor Hernandez' practice in Los Angeles, was fending with Gilberto under the watchful eye of Diego in the front yard of the de la Vega's hacienda. Don Alejandro was crooning over his grandson's cradle, while Victoria was showing to the little girl that looked so much like her how to cross-stitch. There was orange juice on the wrought iron table and the afternoon sun was playfully flickering on the white flagstones through the leaves of the big tree.

They had not heard the horses at the gate, so it was quite a surprise for them when the guest was introduced by a puzzled servant.

It was a woman – the most beautiful woman Gilberto had ever seen since Zafira. She was dressed in French ladies' travelling clothes – pearl grey jacket with lots of tiny buttons, long fitted skirt with a bustle, leather gloves – and her dark hair was gathered in a puffy bun under a small felt hat with a veil, a feather and a velvet black ribbon, but she was definitely _not_ French.

She was Chinese.

\- "You are de la Vega", she said simply, looking at them one after the other, her gaze lingering especially on Victoria.

Her accent was thick, and her eyes were the saddest eyes in the whole world. It was most strange. Although she was small and dressed with simple elegance, there was something fierce and regal in the way she carried herself.

Gilberto stepped forward.

\- "How can we help you?" he asked, every bit the polite gentleman, despite the fact he was sweaty, his hair was mussed up and his shirt was opened at the collar. His naked sword was firm in his hand and Felipe could see Zorro's shadow over him – Gilberto had never stopped protecting his family, whatever clothing he wore.

The woman smiled.

\- "Put away your sword. I have no intention to harm your family", she said gently.

And Felipe somehow knew that if she had intended too, not much could have stopped her. Don Alejandro must have felt it too, because he collected Victoria and the children and put them behind him.

But Diego showed no fear when he came to stand by his brother.

\- "Please take a seat", he said. He pulled a chair and offered it to her. "You must be thirsty after this long journey. Would you like a drink?"

The woman thanked him with a nod and gracefully sat. She took off her hat and put it neatly on the table, next to her gloves.

Now they could see that she was not as young as her beauty could have let people believe, and that she had small delicate hands with the same callosities a swordsman would have had.

Gilberto leaned over the table after she had a sip of orange juice.

\- "Who are you?" he asked bluntly. "Why did you come here?"

She ignored him, looked at the little girl who was peaking at her from behind Victoria's skirt and smiled tenderly.

\- "Are these your children or are they really your sick brother's?" she asked.

Gilberto paled and his knuckles whitened on his sword, although it took Felipe a bit more time to understand what the woman had implied – Victoria had been faster than him and she had turned crimson.

\- "They're mine", said Diego calmly. "I never would have thought such a miracle would be possible, but the doctors I met in your country were very helpful and I recovered some of my strength after taking their concoctions for some time. The children we had never dared hope for were a late and unexpected blessing."

The woman nodded again.

\- "Maybe if there had been time, Lin Chen could have managed such a miracle too", she muttered.

Gilberto frowned. The name was ringing some very far away bells in his memory.

\- "I met someone called Lin Chen in that train back then", Diego said slowly. "Do you know him? He had a young boy with him. A strange, strong, stubborn, but loving and joyful boy."

The woman smiled.

\- "Fei Liu" she said. "He always leaves quite an impression on people."

She looked even sadder, if it was possible.

\- "Our little monkey's still alive", she added – and then she inhaled deeply, as if something heavy was weighting on her chest and keeping her from breathing freely. "Lin Chen travelled with him for a long time, and when he went back to Langya Monastery, Fei Liu returned to the Northern Mountains. He lives in a small shack by the grave. I don't think he'll ever leave it again. He always wanted to be with his Su- _gege_ and nothing could keep him away from him for a long time."

Felipe's heart sank.

_So the stranger they had met in the train – what was his name again? Ah, Mei Changsu – was dead. Why did he feel so sad? They had barely known him…_

Tears were trembling at the woman's long lashes, now. She lifted her beautiful eyes.

\- "My name is Nihuang. I was betrothed to the man you met in the train, Gilberto de la Vega. I came here because I wanted to see you face to face. Lin Shu- _gege_ told me about you and your sick brother. You said some things to _him_ , when you met that day – things he never forgot. I do think he would have tried to live like you suggested… if peace had lasted longer. But he never could stay still when his country was in danger."

Gilberto and Diego both brought their chairs closer.

\- "Tell us more about him", they said at the same time.

Felipe grabbed a tool, and, although they were still wary of the strange woman, Don Alejandro and Victoria sat on the bench to listen to her as well, after they had sent back the children with the nanny.

Nihuang smiled so brightly that the Californian sun suddenly felt dim and dull.

\- " _He_ did it. He changed everything", she said.

And then she told them the story of the young captain and the seventy thousand men butchered in the Northern Mountains, of the snow and the fire, of the famous Langya List, of a young doctor who had never believed in anything before he had met a ghost, of a faithful water buffalo and of a prince who had risen to be a wise and strong king, of hateful brothers and traitors and of a ruler who had never learnt to forgive and to trust.

She told them the story of a young princess who had become a fierce general after she had lost her love and of a sick scholar who had sacrificed everything to save his country – including his name, his fame and his strength.

\- "He was called Lin Shu and he was the Emperor's nephew", she said proudly, even though tears were glistening on her cheeks. "You met him when he was calling himself Mei Changsu and was only known as the leader of a guild of merchants. He was all of this. A prince born to lead armies, a fugitive, a scholar who loved poetry and books, a charismatic mob leader, a genius strategist, a sick man… a selfless hero… a father to Fei Liu… the best of friends… and the man I loved."

Her voice broke.

\- "He died in the Northern Mountains – he must have always wanted to lie with his brothers in arms – during his last battle. I tried to stop him from going there… Prince Jingyan and Lin Chen tried too. We wanted him to leave the battle to others, to think of himself – to think of _us_. But he never could have ignored the pleas of duty."

Nihuang smiled through her tears.

\- "You told him seven years was a long time to wear the Fox's mask", she said. "He kept his mask for fourteen years. But just like you, he never thought the world needed to know his real name."

They did not say anything. It was a lot to take in. Even though it had been a very long time since they had taken the wrong train, they could still remember the two men and the boy they had met then.

It was like a vivid dream or a faded memory, something both sweet and painful.

The princess got up.

\- "I must be on my way", she said. "I've been to many places – all the places he had dreamt to see and more, but I need to go back, now. I might be an old woman, but Jingyan – I mean, the Emperor needs trustful generals around him. There will always be enemies to Da Liang and I cannot rest – my Lin Shu never rested and I won't let him down."

They got up too and she bowed. She left like a shadow, just like she had arrived. Later, Felipe would sometimes wonder if they had dreamt of her coming.

Gilberto never forgot the woman, but it was only years later that he understood how brave she was – and how great Mei Changsu's sacrifice had been. It took a tremendous amount of courage to overcome the pain and to keep on living when you had lost everything you cared for.

Nihuang did not have a terrible mission to help her carry on and Lin Shu had worked really hard at building the peace and ridding the country of corrupt officials, although none of this would ever bring back his brothers in arms and the father he had lost in the Northern Mountains.

After Diego's death, Gilberto wished he could hide himself again behind Zorro's mask and thunder on with Tornado on El Camino Real, fighting and risking his life to bring freedom and justice to California – but Zorro wasn't needed anymore. _Gilberto de la Vega_ was.

Don Alejandro had peacefully left his sons during the winter prior and Victoria was gone too – Diego's poor heart had not been able to endure the news of her terrible accident, especially because the frantic lancer who had come to the hacienda had broken it to him without any preparation – so Gilberto was the only one left to take care of the children and the rancho.

So he gritted his teeth and tried to live on – even if it only meant getting up to do meaningless and mundane things like caring for the cattle and doing the books and checking on the bees and watching over schoolwork and weeding the roses and reading bedtime stories.

Then he found out that these things weren't meaningless. They were precious little moments, history being built, crumbs of happiness, pieces of a puzzle far bigger than him.

His niece and nephew were growing up safe and healthy, and Felipe was every bit the man Diego had seen in him. California was at peace and he had many memories to cherish.

It was more than Nihuang had ever had and still, the princess had left with her head up and a smile.

On the other side of the world, a young prince was playing with a slave-born future general.

At his desk, a just king was writing the name of a new army.

In Langya Monastery, Lin Chen had just inherited his father's position.

Somewhere on the Northern Border, atop a mountain, a man-child was babbling with himself while peeling a tangerine in front of a snow-covered grave.

The glowing sun was going down on the scarlet horizon and the wind was rising.

Gilberto sighed. It was time to go home.

_There would come a day when they would be reunited again._

Until then, he just had to remember that hope was not the only thing Lin Shu and Diego had left behind when their work had been done. Duty, love, remembrance, children to raise… it was all part of protecting the future, it was another reason to live and he had his hands full with it.

They would be okay.


End file.
